Influences of Stars

Chapter 6

The town came together before winter began to build a new house for Charis' family. Mr Smith, one of the poorer farmers in Rowley Bridge, had said it was the rickety way that they lived which killed her pa. "The wind can get through the walls," he said at the town meeting, "And Mrs Wiley is goin'a be a ma once more by the end of the year. The poor babe will be without a  pa and it oughtn't be cold as well."

Constance had implored her father to vote in agreement, but it was unnecessary; everybody agreed it was their Christian duty to aid the widow. There was some land at the edge of Mr Smith's farm; if they built the house there, the family could have their own garden to grow food and the ma could do the smaller tasks about the farm to earn a keep.

Therefore, throughout autumn the menfolk of the town gave up their evenings to build a small house at the edge of a scrap of land. On the final day, the entire town came with all the women wearing their Sunday best and the younger girls bringing food they had made themselves for the men to eat.

Theo has been helping to build the house every now and then, but mostly he had been contained to mending the furniture they already had. He was getting rather good at it, so that on the last day when he arranged it inside, he looked at the scene with a little pride amongst the relief that he hadn't ruined anything for Charis. He so wanted her to be happy with it all. Smiles had been so rare upon her for far too long.

As he looked over his work, pushing some things an inch or so over every now and then, he had become so absorbed that he tripped over the leg of the table when a voice came out from behind him. "You're needed outside to help with the log rolling," brother in law, John, said. In truth, John had been asked to do it but he protested a bad back and volunteered Theo instead.

Outside was alive with the entire town ready to view the house being finished off. Everyone but the workers were in the best clothes, including Constance whose dress was trimmed with a white lace that the minister said was rather too ostentatious, especially for someone so young. "Such fine things will make her vain," agreed Mr Yeardley, even though his gaze did not move from Constance all afternoon.

As Theo approached the pile of logs, he found himself surrounded by his own kind- boys halfway from childhood and halfway to adulthood. They patted him on the back and smiled at him as he greeted them; since he had started learning to work, he had noticed he'd become one of them more than before.

"She's so pretty!" said Leon. He was eighteen so two years older than Theo, and simple enough for Constance's liking. "God must have used divine light when making her," he said. He dared to glance over at her again, though he was drifting dangerously towards sinful behaviour. Still, the light seemed to be capturing her that day, so much so that she appeared like a true apparition of angel sweetness. "Do you not think her beautiful, Theo?" he asked after Theo had failed to join in with the affirmation.

He bowed his head, unable to look at them as he spoke. "We shouldn't speak of such things, really," he said. His voice was a murmur.

"He must be in love with one of the others, then. Why else would he follow them about all the time?" Daniel said, teasing him. Why was it so much easier to withstand teasing from one's friends than anyone else? Still, good natured as Theo was, he grew no frustration within himself but instead a discomfort as he tried to shift the conversation away from such a topic.

"We all know he must love Miss Wiley, then," said another. They all spoke in such hushed whispers, terrified of one of the adults hearing them speak as they did. Matters such as love were a private affair, locked between God and a goodly man and wife who had already promised themselves to one another. However, it was this secrecy which enticed the adolescents so desperately, because for them it became a mystery where the answers promised complete bliss.